Gay Ingram began her writing career with a passion for herbs. This led her to share
her hard-earned knowledge through self-published informational booklets and a newsletter
which ran for five years. During this interim, she served as editor of the Ark-La-Tex
Herb Society’s newsletter.

A creative writing course offered by Tyler Junior College sparked her fiction writing
and in 2000, she published her first novel ’Til Death Do Us Part. She has since published
Troubled Times, Twist of Fate and her latest, Second Time Around.

Her non-fiction publications include Tracks on the Sand (a history of her hometown,)
A Stirred Pot (a collection of short stories,) and Walking in His Steps (stories
about her father’s progress into Alzheimer’s.) Tate Publishing produced Living With
a Depressed Spouse, a personal account offering hopes for others.

As an active member of East Texas Writers Association, Gay Ingram served as editor
of The Roughdraft, their monthly newsletter for two five year periods. She presently
serves as editor of With Pen In Hand, the monthly newsletter of North East Texas
Writers’ Organization

She has served as Editorial Assistant for the Big Sandy & Hawkins Journal, a local
weekly newspaper and contributed a monthly column for a period of time.

Her past publishing credits include both fiction and nonfiction. Herb Quarterly,
Texas Gardener, and Backwoods Home have all carried her work. Her articles on writing
have appeared in Writers’ Journal, Fellowscript and other publications.

Book title:Second Time Around

Brief Synopsis: Recently widowed, Dolly Summers steps in to take her husband’s position
in the family business. When her best friend, Sophia is killed, Dolly assumes guardianship
of a rebellious teenage daughter

An accident connects Dolly with a stranger, Douglas Martin, and her emotions go awry.
Is it possible? Could he really be Robert McGoodall, the man Dolly first loved who
supposedly died twenty-eight years ago on his way to propose?

At the moment, I’m responding to the call of spring and spending lots of outdoor
time gardening. Another relaxing pastime is to create quilts/blankets to be distributed
to the homeless.

What, or who, inspired you to become a writer?

I’m not sure there is any one person who inspired me. I have always preferred to
communicate by the written word rather than spoken. I recall having an overseas pen-pal
when in school and writing 15-20 page letters when first I left home to start my
adult life.

Current work

What or who inspired you to write your current novel?

Second Time Around came about as the result of a challenge to have a manuscript to
present at a newly formed critique group I agreed to become part of.

Tell us three interesting facts about your book which are not covered in the synopsis.

1)I chose Dallas, Texas as the setting for my story because I was familiar with that
city. I was living there during the time period the story takes place.

2) I’ve never heard of a whip being used to torment a kidnapped person; the imagery
just came to me and I had to write it in.

3) The most difficult part for me to write was making the fact of Douglas Martin’s
amnesia believable.

What research did you need to do for this book?

I drew on my memories of this city a lot. Then I was fortunate to find a website
that featured a forum for Dallasites reminiscing about their young adult activities
and memories of that city. This gave me a plethora of details to incorporate into
my story.

Are any elements/characters of your book based on real life experiences or people
you’ve met/known?

I wouldn’t be surprised is some elements of my characters’ personalities were recognizable
to some folks. After all, we fiction writers are forever retaining distinctive details
from the world around us and incorporating them into our stories. But I have to say
I never intentionally used any element/character…pure fiction.

Tell us a little about your current work-in-progress.

At the moment I’m enthralled with the research required to maintain two blogs. I
do a historical vignette of an American city for VentureGalleries.com and post a
bit of origin about the interesting idioms of our English language.

Writing/publication process

What process did you adopt from inception through to the finished book?

My stories usually begin with a character that makes him/herself known to me. I tend
to write American Historical Fiction which means a great deal of research is involved
to accurately portray the period in which the story is set.

As the character speaks to me, the plot evolves and I just write everything down
in a spiral notebook to begin with.

When the story line becomes clearer, I then turn to the computer and begin to shape
the incidents and scenes needed to progress the story.

What do you need (or not need) around you whilst writing?

I’m fortunate to have a small building on our farm that is dedicated to my work,
be it writing or sewing. There’s an answering machine to catch the calls and I usually
have either classical or Christian music playing on the radio.

What prompted you to self-publish your current book?

My most recent novel was produced by a small publishing house begun by a writer friend.
Although not self-published, I was allowed lots of input in the format and cover
design.

What were the three biggest challenges you faced when writing your book?

1) I’m not sure one would consider it a challenge, but I make myself do a tremendous
amount of research. First, because I love the process and second because I’m a stickler
for being historically accurate.

2) The challenge really comes after the book is written and published. I dread the
necessity of submitting and marketing.

3) -

Every author seems to suffer with writer’s block at some point. How do you overcome
it?

I’ve come to realize, for myself at least, writer’s block comes because there is
an unknown in the story that is yet to be discovered. In the past, I’ve tried to
force the writing and ended up being frustrated. I’ve learned to draw back and leave
it for a bit, allow my self-conscious to dredge up that puzzling thing and bring
me a solution.

What single piece of advice would you give to any aspiring writer?

Read, read, read and learn the craft. You may write a fabulous story but if your
writing skills are not the best, the reader will be turned off. Don’t be hesitant
to have your work edited – it will only improve…and so will you as a writer.

Genre

What genre does your book fall into?

I would have to say Second Time Around would be classified as Women’s Fiction.

How did you get interested in this specific genre?

Actually, I prefer to write in the American Historical Fiction genre as my other
novels show.

You as a reader

Which three authors have inspired you the most, and why?

1) The first author whose work deeply impressed me was Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth.

2) At present, I’m always eager to read anything Maeve Binchey brings out. She does
such a good job of creating interesting characters involved in life situations.

3) Elizabeth Goudge’s books are some I read over and over. Her ability to weave the
spiritual aspects into her stories enthral me.

What was your favourite book as a child?

I don’t recall having any children’s books in our home when I was growing up. Since
I read constantly, I suspect I was a voracious borrower.

What is the best book you’ve read in the last 12 months?

Gosh! I’ve read so many great books recently I don’t think I can point to just one.

What was the last book you recommended to a friend, and why did you think it was
worthy of recommendation?

The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn. A prophetic message we would do well to heed.

Kindle (or other e-reader) or paperback, and why?

I have a Kindle app on my computer but can’t get in the groove. I still prefer paper
books.

Hollywood is calling

You’ve had the call from Hollywood and they want your opinion on who should play
the leading roles in the film based upon your book. Who would you choose, and why?

Dolly – Susan Sarandon Richard Gere as Douglas. Both are mature actors who personify
the characters I envisioned when writing the book.

The film of your book is now going to need a soundtrack. Which musician(s) would
you want to write and play it?

John Groban’s style seems to suit my story. Don’t know if he is a composer or not.

Favourites

Drink – coffee

Meal – spaghetti

Holiday destination – New England or Hawaii

TV programme – The Mentalist

Film – don’t see films but would have like to have seen The Life of Pi

Method of travel – I love flying because of the immediacy but also enjoy taking solo
auto trips.